Canada Beats U.S. in Shootout at Women’s World Championships

Canada defeated the United States 5-4 in round-robin play of the IIHF World Women’s Championship on Saturday before a crowd of 15,003 in Winnipeg. The Americans led 4-2 in the second period but the Canadians tied the score before the second intermission and ultimately won in a shootout.

Hayley Wickenheiser, the Most Outstanding Player of Canada’s gold-medal 2002 and 2006 Olympic teams, scored the game-winner past Wisconsin sophomore Jessie Vetter in her first career start against the Canadian senior national team. Vetter, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 Women’s Frozen Four, stopped 26 of 30 shots in regulation.

“It was a very competitive game and unfortunately we came up a little bit short in the shootout,” said Mark Johnson, head coach of Team USA and Wisconsin. “There was a lot of excitement playing in front of a big crowd – it was a very meaningful game and great for women’s hockey. We took a lot of good things from this game and hopefully we’ll be able to recover and come back tomorrow night with the same type of effort.”

Gillian Apps, the 2007 ECACHL Player of the Year from Dartmouth, set up Wickenheiser for the third Canadian goal and scored the fourth to tie the game.

Apps’ Dartmouth classmate Katie Weatherston assisted on Canada’s first goal for a 1-0 lead 1:21 into the game. UMD alum Jenny Potter and Minnesota alum Krissy Wendell scored for a 2-1 U.S. lead at the first intermission.

Harvard sophomore Sarah Vaillancourt tied the game 2-2 on a two-man advantage early in the period, but goals by Gopher sophomore Gigi Marvin and Gopher alum Natalie Darwitz gave the U.S. a 4-2 lead, which Apps and Wickenheiser eliminated in less than four minutes.

U.S. college players on National Rosters

U.S. Women’s Team

GOALTENDERS (2)
Chanda Gunn, Northeastern ’04
Jessie Vetter, Wisconsin (So.)

DEFENSEMEN (7)
Caitlin Cahow, Harvard (Jr.)
Julie Chu, Harvard (Sr.)
Molly Engstrom, Wisconsin ’05
Kelli Halcisak, Providence ’04
Helen Resor, Yale (So.)
Angela Ruggiero, Harvard ’04
Kerry Weiland, Wisconsin ’03

FORWARDS (11)
Natalie Darwitz , Minnesota ’06
Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin (Fr.)
Tiffany Hagge, Dartmouth ’06
Kristin King, Dartmouth ’02
Hilary Knight, Wisconsin (Incoming)
Erika Lawler, Wisconsin (So.)
Gigi Marvin, Minnesota (So.)
Sarah Parsons, Dartmouth (Fr.)
Jenny Potter, Minnesota-Duluth ’04
Krissy Wendell, Minnesota ’05
Jinelle Zaugg, Wisconsin (Jr.)

Canadian Women’s Team

Carla MacLeod, D, Wisconsin ’05
Annie Guay, D, St. Lawrence (Jr.) (Alt.)
Tessa Bonhomme, D, Ohio State (So.)
Meghan Agosta, F, Mercyhurst (Fr.)
Katie Weatherston, F, Dartmouth (Sr.)
Gillian Apps, F, Dartmouth (Sr.)
Caroline Ouellette, F, UMD ’05
Jennifer Botterill, F, Harvard ’03
Rebecca Johnston, F, Cornell (Incoming) (Alt.)
Sarah Vaillancourt, F, Harvard (So.)
Gina Kingsbury, F, St. Lawrence ’04
Vicky Sunohara, F, Northeastern ’89